Immigration policy in Texas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The state of Texas has a long history of immigration and immigration policy.[1] The region that is now Texas was originally home to several Native American tribes. The first European immigrants arrived in the 1600s when the land was colonized by the French and the Spanish. Financial incentives created by the Mexican government brought many immigrants to Mexican Texas in the 1820s, mostly from slaveholding areas in the southern United States. This continued as significant illegal immigration to Mexico after 1830, when American migrants were banned.
The next wave of immigrants arrived in the mid-1980s, prompted by the passage of the Immigration Reform and Control Act.[2] By 2022, there were over 5.17 million foreign-born people in the State of Texas.[3]
Immigration is a major topic in American politics and was a key issue for President Donald Trump. Despite a decrease in the rate of immigration, recent policies have attempted to limit immigration to Texas and restrict legal protections for migrants. The United States federal government regulates the international border and has primary enforcement power for immigration law. State and local governments can choose whether to cooperate with federal law enforcement, and what services to provide to legal and illegal immigrants.